Homeless man injured, charged in West Utica fire

A homeless man has been charged following an early morning West Utica fire in which he had to jump from a second-story window.

A homeless man has been charged following an early morning West Utica fire in which he had to jump from a second-story window.

Emergency crews were called to the northwest corner of Warren Street and Sunset Avenue shortly before 6 a.m. and upon arrival reported smoke and flames were visible from the second floor of the three-story, vacant building.

City police said the city-owned house, which has an address of 954 Sunset Ave., became engulfed in flames after Brandon Cook, a 29-year-old homeless man, started a fire in there to keep warm. The fire then got out of control.

Cook suffered a fractured pelvis after jumping from a second-floor window.